News

New research confirms flies can spread diseases to pigs

01 August 2018

Central Life Sciences has confirmed a ground-breaking revelation for the swine industry – flies can infect pigs with diseases including PEDV and Senecavirus A

Flies aren’t just a nuisance to pork producers and their employees, they are a legitimate health concern for their animals. After leading a research initiative to explore the connection between swine disease and flies, Central Life Sciences has confirmed a ground-breaking revelation for the swine industry – flies can infect pigs with diseases including PEDV and Senecavirus A.

As first reported in PORK Magazine, a bioassay at Iowa State University in spring 2018 confirmed the findings, which could have major implications for the swine industry. Grant Allison, DVM, a veterinarian at the Walcott (Iowa) Veterinary Clinic was a key contributor to the research, and he believes that operators will now give closer attention to fly control for swine.

“It’s important that you know what could be the source of infection and do your best to minimise it,” says Allison. “If you don’t know flies transmit it, then you’re not going to control flies. Now, maybe you should think about it, because flies are a vector, just like a dirty truck.”

In spite of the extensive biosecurity measures typically employed on a swine operation, the study confirms that overlooking flies could prove costly. A fly can transmit the disease, and a fly can also keep the disease alive within a facility after corrective steps have been taken to clear it. Flies can potentially even spread the disease to other facilities within an operation, making it difficult to contain an outbreak. So, while you may be following your biosecurity protocols closely, a single fly can possibly cause a disease to spread or re-break.

Allison adds that swine operations have essentially two options for comprehensive fly control programmes.

“You’ll have to use some kind of fogger, mister or spray that’s going to be used extensively and routinely, or you’ll use a larvicide in the feed,” Allison says. “I’m concerned about fogging or misting in terms of worker safety and health, so I’d look at the in-feed larvicide first.”

ClariFly® Larvicide is feed-through fly control for swine that works to reduce flies around pigs and their associated risks. By stopping flies in the larval stage, ClariFly® Larvicide is proven to prevent the development of up to 96.7% of house flies in treated manure. That means flies stop repopulating, helping to reduce the risk of swine diseases on your operation.

ClariFly® Larvicide works as a feed-through, passing through swine and into their manure, so it requires no extra work from your employees and can significantly reduce the need for unpleasant sprays or fogs. ClariFly® Larvicide also features a target-specific mode of action that will have no impact on swine or human employees.

In addition to protecting against house flies, stable flies, and dark-eyed fruit flies, ClariFly® Larvicide can also help with non-biting gnats, and Indian meal moths.